


Chasing the Darkness

by BetweenPaperPages



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Baelfire - Freeform, Belle French - Freeform, Dark One Curse, F/M, Fairy Tale Land, Mr. Gold - Freeform, Neal Cassidy - Freeform, OUAT - Freeform, Once Upon A Time, Rumbelle - Freeform, Rumplestiltskin - Freeform, enchanted forest, the dark one - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-04-16 05:50:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4613580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenPaperPages/pseuds/BetweenPaperPages
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Pan's defeat, the residents of Storybrooke find themselves back home in the Enchanted Forest. While others are keen to return to their former lives and accept what has occurred, there are those who are not ready to admit defeat. </p><p>Belle French will not simply sit back and see her fate decided for her, only she decides her fate, even if all magic comes with a price.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Choice of Direction

Chasing the Darkness

 

Belle sighed softly, stirring in her sleep for a moment, and tucked her head snugly against the shoulder it was resting on.

 

The whole of Storybrooke, minus the company of Emma Swan and Henry Mills, had returned to the Enchanted Forest after Peter Pan’s casting of the dark curse could not be reversed. They would have to come to terms that Storybrooke, the town of which they had called home for nearly thirty years (unwillingly due to Regina’s dark curse), was gone.

 

Upon their return, individuals had begun to make decisions of what to do now they had been transported to their original lands. Decisions were easy among the majority of the people, the Charming family, their kingdom’s followers, and even Queen Regina had all agreed to return to their land in order to see what had become of them, bound to right the damage that had occurred, and return to their appointed roles.

 

Among the now dislodged group, there were those individuals who broke away, choosing to walk their own path; Captain Killian Hook being one and a few others who set off on their own, having their own life of relative solitude to return too.

 

All which left a few, although a small amount, of people confused and questioning their options; Belle being among one of them. She and her Father had a difficult relationship since she was found and released from the asylum (thanks to Jefferson), and the thought of returning to Avonlea didn’t settle well with her. While it was where she was raised and would always be a part of her, it was far from being home, home had long since become the Dark Castle ever since her deal with Rumpelstiltskin.

 

However without him, and after all the time that had passed being away in Storybrooke, she had no idea what would be left of it to return too, surely the wards and protections that Rumple had placed on the castle would still be intact to some degree. What had taken her by surprise was Neal’s offer; he had suggested that they traveled together in order to find answers and reach the dark castle she spoke about. After all, she wasn’t the only one who wanted his father back, there was more he had to say, and his father could not simply be lost to him, not after everything that happened, not after he sacrificed himself.

 

She was unsure how Neal was handling his sudden return to the Enchanted Forest, but he certainly didn’t seem to express any anxiety over the predicament. Rumpelstiltskin had gained the castle long after Baelfire was lost to him, so the journey was mostly navigated by Belle. The pair of them had managed to pull together some provisions along with a horse before splitting off from the rest of the former community. Belle wished that she had asked him more about his son, but the fact that he had one, let alone his name, had been difficult enough to pull out of the strong-headed man but it left her traveling with a near-stranger.

 

Stranger, perhaps, but she couldn’t help, but feel an overwhelming sense that she could trust Neal without hesitation despite the short amount of time they had to get to know each other. Neal was certainly his own man, but she knew that part of his father was in him, she could see it in their eyes; they both felt and loved with their whole heart. Just as Rumple loved Neal, Neal loved Henry and Emma with the same deep passion. While their personalities would have their differences it was clear that they were a part of each other.

 

Because of the similarity she even felt safe enough with him to sleep in her spot in front of him on the horse, her head pillowed against his shoulder and chest as the horse trotted onward towards the intimidating estate that had been the home of the Dark One.

 

\---

 

Neal looked down as Belle started to stir where she rested as he pulled on the reins to slow their horse down somewhat. It had been a long journey for all of them, and there was no doubt they all were tired; if not physically, then emotionally.

 

“How are you feeling?” He questioned her, shifting back in the saddle some so she could rearrange herself into a comfortable position. Belle lifted herself up, rolling her shoulders. As she shifted her backside to a more firm sitting position on the horse’s back, side saddle wasn’t the most comfortable way to ride but it had sufficed for the time being.

 

“About the same.” She answered, glancing around the forest to see just where they were positioned, it wouldn’t be much further now until they reached the dark castle, or home, she secretly thought. “Do you mind if we walk on foot for a while to stretch?” Belle questioned, feeling her backside having gone numb from her odd position during her nap.

 

“No,” came Neal’s quick reply as he slowed the horse down to a final stop. He offered his hand to Belle so she could slip off the beast, her heels landing softly on the foliage covered forest bed despite the height of the drop. Neal swung his leg off to drop down beside her once she was standing further away. “Been awhile since you’ve ridden a horse?” He question with a knowing smirk as she stretched.

 

“Thirty years give or take.” Belle shot him a playful glare with her bright eyes, a smile on her lips. Becoming friends with Neal had been very easy, as if they were always meant to be friends, and she was deeply thankful for that. Given her relationship with his father, she wasn't sure what she'd have done had he not accepted her.

 

Neal laughed with a grin as he watched her, “Much longer than thirty years, but I can’t say that I’ve kept a record.” He announced, guiding the horse to walk alongside them as they followed the path in the forest.

 

\---

 

The pair continued to chat as they traveled further into the mountains.They had once again saddled up onto the horse to get through the deepening snow, but also to stay bundled together against the whipping cold. Belle pulled her cloak further around her lavender muslin dress in an attempt to retain what little body heat she had, thankful that she was resting back against Neal’s chest and the extra warmth that provided.

 

“So that’s Pop’s place.” Neal commented as the trees fell behind them, leading them onto a long winding road towards a rather large estate, the castle tucked behind a circular protective stone wall. “A bit big for one person, don’t you think?”

 

“Well, you would be surprised just how much storage one immortal man needs for his possessions.” Belle pointed out, thinking back to all the time she spent in the great hall dusting Rumpelstiltskin’s’ collection or polishing silver at the table. 

 

Once the two passed the gate the large topiary garden sprawled out before them, clearly worse for wear from the lack of care that they had missed out on. Where once full, lush, green bushes stood, were now only the skeletal remains of bare branches while moss and weeds seemed to thrive as they grew from between the stones of the path way. The large, rectangle shaped castle had various stages of either living or decaying ivy clinging to its walls, seemingly draped around each and every window that flanked the front of the gray-stone castle.

 

Belle’s lips turned down into a frown at the sight of the estate, recalling just how hauntingly beautiful it could appear in the spring and summer time. However, with the current snow blanketing the property and, the lack of care the home had received during their cursed years away, the site of its dilapidated state tugged at her heartstrings.Perhaps she was simply cold from the weather, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling as empty and morose as the castle looked. What they needed was hope, and it was something that she needed to cling on to despite what the circumstances looked like.

 

They took their time to get the horse settled in the stables in the back gardens, making sure it had fresh hay and water, and allowing it to get the much deserved rest before they turned their attention to gaining access to the rest of the property.

 

Neal had pulled out his short sword in case someone had decided to take up residency while the castle had been abandoned, and Belle followed suit with a long dagger that had been tucked into the belt of her dress. Though Neal appeared far less surprised than Belle when they gained entry without any issue, he shrugged it off as blood magic that his father must have used when he obtained the property, as they had passed through any wards without negative consequences.

 

“It doesn’t seem that we have any company.” Belle pointed out, leading Neal into the great hall, towards the large stone fireplace that was settled against the wall. She busied herself with getting it quickly cleaned out, freshly stacking it with logs, and setting a fire to warm up the chilled air in the space. It was a much needed comfort after their time spent traveling along with a few other things such as a proper change of clothes and a decent meal.

 

“There are a few things I want to check on…” Belle commented, looking back to where he was standing in front of a large, built in glass cabinet on the opposite wall that contained quite a few objects. Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip as she watched him study the objects inside. “Will you be alright for a little while? I won’t be too long; the castle should be safe as long as we stay out of the laboratory tower.”

 

Neal simply turned around and gave her a full nod. “I’ll just be looking around for some clues; hopefully I can find something that will help us.” With Belle’s quick agreement, she turned on her heel and headed off toward another part of the building.

 

\---

 

It didn’t take long for the familiar layout of the grounds to return to Belle. She nearly took the stairs two at a time to reach the second floor, glancing down the carpeted corridor towards her former room. Her curiosity was far too strong not to return to the space as her feet quickly carried her down the hall toward the heavy wood door, holding down the lock as she swung the door inwards.

 

The room was a decent size and it almost knocked Belle off her feet to see how the room stood nearly untouched by time since the last time that she stepped foot into it. That had been the day before her and Rumple had shared their kiss, before she had been thrown into the dungeon again, before she was thrown from the castle…

 

She shook her head, her chestnut curls bouncing around her cheeks as she broke from her daze in order to step further into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind her with its weight. On the wall to her right rested a comfortable looking four poster bed, draped in blue satin bedclothes, a fine layer of dust having settled across its surface. Directly across her on the far wall rested the outwards facing windows, dimmed with grime and ivy, a wardrobe nestled between the narrow openings. To the left of where she stood rested a small fireplace (on the same wall of the door) to heat the space, a well worn wing-back chair sitting in front of it, facing towards the fireplace and the bookshelf that rested to the side; while the furthest wall from her held a door that lead to a washroom. 

 

Belle bit into her lower lip as she trotted over to the wardrobe, pulling both of the doors open in either direction, her eyes quickly falling on the sight of her muslin day dresses still hanging in the closet that she had worn around the castle when she worked. There were at least five dresses in the same style that hung together, and although in different colors, none matched her favorite blue one (it had long been lost during her travels and before she was captured by Regina). The sight of them was almost a comfort in and of themselves but she knew they wouldn’t work for what she needed. The wardrobe was closed and left behind her as she left the room, allowing it once again to settle.

 

\---

 

There were few places in the castle that had been left off-limits to Belle when she was working there, the main two being Rumple’s laboratory tower and his own quarters. Despite them being off limits, it didn’t leave Belle to any question where the two were located, and perhaps it was convenient that Rumpelstiltskin’s room had only been a few spare-rooms down from her own, and across the hall. Considering that their deal had long been terminated she didn’t particularly see the rules still applying to her now, plenty of time had passed, as she was far from his maid anymore.

 

All of Belle’s conclusions and logical deductions now explained her current situation, finding herself standing in the middle of the castle’s master chambers.

 

The chamber itself was much larger than her room, just teetering on the edge of being too large, leaving one with a feeling that the space would respond with an echo. The room was laid out in a similar fashion to her own although the space was decorated in deep browns, warm oranges, and deep blood reds while Rumpelstiltskin’s’ signature color of gold was accented throughout. Another distinctive difference was the additional furniture and objects that were sprinkled throughout the space, seemingly filling any possible empty spot while at the same time not appearing cluttered in any sense. It reminded Belle of the man’s salmon-pink Victorian home back in Storybrooke that they had shared for a brief period of time.

 

The sight of the bed, despite the dust in the space, caused her heart to clench in her chest, wanting nothing more than to crawl into its expanse and absorb and breathe in any possible remaining fragment of Rumple’s scent left in the bedclothes. Once again she had to shake her head to break the thoughts from her mind, her blue eyes quickly turning towards the wardrobe as she approached it, he may not be with her, but at least she could take a piece of him on their journey.

 

\---

 

Belle returned to the great hall, now sporting a new outfit that was far more conducive to travel than her previous dress; at least it would now allow her to ride a horse properly. She walked in with sturdy, knee height, brown boots that her leggings were tucked into, her hips wrapped in thick leather shorts of a darker brown that seemed nearly black. She had dawned on a long sleeved, frilled neck tunic that was layered with one of Rumpelstiltskin’s baroque styled vests and jacket; the jacket having gathered in the back and flared out in a fan at her lower back almost like a bird’s flared tail.

 

She approached Neal where he stood with his back to her, appearing to be staring at an object in his hand. “What is that?” She questioned softly, resting a hand on his shoulder to announce her return, not wanting to frighten him.

 

“A necklace, it was Emma’s.” He answered, turning the delicate piece over in his hand. “It was supposed to represent our life together. I don’t know how it survived the trip.” Neal observed.

 

She glanced down at the stone floor with a knowing smile before she looked back up to him, “because it was born out of true love.”

 

Wither the look he offered her was one of suspicion or contemplation over her answer, he wasn’t sure himself, though he perked up at the next idea that she purposed - that she knew where they needed to look for their answers.

 

Belle picked up a candle from the hall before directing Neal to follow her out of the space and towards one of the towers of the castle. It didn’t take long, despite the height of the space, before the pair was wandering into a large circular shaped library that rested at the top. She took in a deep breath of the familiar scent of leather, parchment, and smiled at the tall and full bookshelves that she had spent more than one day either reading through, or dusting during her stay. _This_ , she thought to herself, _this was home_ (the only thing that was missing was Rumple).

 

“You think there’s magic in here?” Neal questioned, following her lead as she set the candle down to light more. His eyes following the bookshelves in a dazed manner, there were hundreds of books and he had no idea what they were really going to find.

 

“No, something better than magic, books.” She answered, “Books on history, witchcraft, and hopefully some on the Dark One too.” Belle wasn’t entirely sure if anyone would have ever written a book about such an evil, but with it being as old and dark as it was, there had to be mention of it somewhere.

 

“Where do we start?” He inquired, looking back at her.

 

“One shelf at a time.” She claimed, turning towards him with a nod as she headed off to find a starting point.


	2. The Dark Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Neal have reached the Dark Castle, but will its walls contain any answers for them? Or will it only stand as a stark reminder of what has been lost...

Chasing the Darkness

 

Neal sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, and tossed a large tome onto the desk that sat in the library, a heavy thud echoing around the space. His gaze turned to Belle who was sitting nearby in the chaise lounge, her own pile of finished books stacked around her feet, each stack nearly the height of the chaise itself. “This is getting us nowhere,” he complained, his hands gripping the table tightly. His eyes fluttered around through all the books that they had processed through so far; there were certainly enough here to fill a lifetime of reading. While he could understand and respect Belle’s approach on their quest, the lack of progress was starting to weigh on him, he had never been the type to sit idly by and watch events happen.

 

Belle set her book face down onto the chaise beside her and stood up, smoothing her shirt down as she did so. “It will… we just have to be diligent. We’ve been at this for hours now, why don’t you take a break and I can get us some tea?” Belle suggested, walking over to set her hand on his shoulder.

 

“I think I need something a bit stronger than tea,” Neal noted, looking to the shorter woman at his side with a knowing smirk.

 

“That can be arranged too,” she replied, noting how much his smirk looked like his Father’s in that moment. “I’ll be back shortly,” Belle informed him, and turned to head down the library’s stairs. The stress was getting to him just as much as it was her, but if he was going to find a way back to Emma and Henry, she knew it would most likely be through his Father, somehow.

 

Neal watched Belle as she walked out of sight, his eyes scanning over the untouched bookshelves, wondering just where they would find the answers they wanted. The Dark One had lived for centuries and so far they had come across vague stories that a few brave souls had written down, folk tales of a dark creature, moral stories to get children to mind their parents, and descriptions of a beast that had tormented souls for fun.

 

He knew that none of the stories were about **_his_** Father, but they were still just as hard to swallow, for the creature those stories were really about resided inside of him and consumed him from the inside out. Neal wasn’t sure, in either the Enchanted Forest or Storybrooke, if he would ever get to see the gentle spinner that his Father had once been. That man being a coward? Yes, in a way his Father would always be a coward, but they had happy memories from those days, they had always been a family to support each other in the hardest of times and that man did everything he could for him. It was time that he repaid him and try to do the same in return; even if their relationship couldn’t be repaired, he could at least try.

 

He moved away from the table and walked towards one of the untouched bookcases, his fingers running along the spines of books that were lined up on the shelf, eyes scanning over the various titles that were scrawled along the spines. Belle said that books were better than magic, and while he neither agreed nor disagreed with the idea, he wondered what knowledge they would need in order to find his Father. Just where The Dark One went in death he wasn’t sure, but it couldn’t possibly be a pleasant place, and certainly not an idea he wanted to dwell on.

 

Thankfully Belle returned to interrupt his thoughts, carrying a heavy laden tray with a tea service, a few selections of food, along with a rather large crystal glass that held a rich amber color liquid in its belly.

 

Belle reached up to tuck a loose curl of her hair behind her ear after she set the tray down on an empty spot of the table that hadn’t been covered in books or notes. “At least we know there are still quite a few enchantments that still work around here.” She spoke to break the silence between them, turning to pour the amber liquid into a glass before handing him the large measure, and then set about fixing herself a cup of tea.

 

Neal nodded in agreement as he took the liquid, taking the chance to he knocked it back in one motion; the whiskey burned a trail down his throat, causing him to grimace. He could feel the heat seeping into his limbs; it had been just what he needed to refocus himself on what they had laid out before them.

 

“I’ve been thinking,” Neal said, walking over to the table to pour himself another drink before he sat beside Belle on the chaise where she was sitting, legs crossed, and sipping slowly from her tea. “If the curse is passed onto the next person through the act of killing the current Dark One, what happens to the curse if it doesn’t get passed on?” He questioned, looking down into the amber in his glass.

 

They both knew that the only way to kill the dark one was with his dagger, but somehow through the loopholes of magic, Rumpelstiltskin had managed to take his own life (along with his Father’s) in the process.

 

“I’m not sure about that one,” she admitted, “Rumple said that the only way to kill him was with the dagger… which is what happened, but the curse didn’t transfer to anyone. It was almost like it vanished into thin air…”

 

He considered the idea for a moment before he lifted his eyes. “No it didn’t vanish, if left Storybrooke, it _retreated,_ ” he declared, and stood up to glance around the library. A moment later he looked back to where Belle sat, seemingly uncertain about where his thought process was going. “We’ve been looking for the wrong information, Belle,” he explained, “we need to know where the curse returned to; we need to know where it came from.”

 

“You mean the original source of the curse?” She asked, her brow quirking upward. “Every story we’ve come across so far says that the curse is as old as time itself, or close to it,” she pointed out. She had never considered the thought of where the curse had come from, simply that it existed.

 

Belle stood and walked over to the table nearby, setting her teacup aside. She ran a finger down the long parchment of scrawling notes that lay there. “With the way that the curse is transferred and the fact that there could have been endless Dark One’s before Rumple, it’s hard to think that there is one particular place that it would return too.”

 

Neal nodded. “But that is the thing, we don’t need to find origins of original Dark One, we need to find the location it came to be,” he muttered, taking a long sip from his glass as he thought. “Don’t think anyone has written a book titled “The Dark One, a History” by chance?” He questioned, offering Belle a playful grin.

 

She couldn’t help but chuckle, and smile up at him; this was weighing heavily on both of them, and he was doing what he could to keep their spirits up. “No, I don’t suppose,” she answered with a shake of her head, but a smile still on her lips.

 

\---

               

The pair continued to work into the early hours of the morning, eventually taking time for some proper rest; neither of them wanted to stop but if they were to be effective, rest would be required.

 

Thankfully the castle recognized the fact it had residents, no matter how briefly they stayed, and its fire places remained well stoked and burning without any real attention from either occupant. While there was a great many things that Belle wanted to show her companion about the castle and various rooms, it hardly seemed appropriate; in a way it felt more like something for father and son. Though there was at least one space she wanted him to see. It was his, after all.

 

She worried on her lower lip while she stood behind Neal, giving him an encouraging nod when he glanced back. Belle hadn’t told him it was his room, she only suggested he use it, and that she would be a couple doors down. Neal was bright, and she couldn’t imagine it would take long for him to figure it out. With a small smile, and a bid goodnight (or morning at this hour), she slipped away to retreat to Rumple’s chambers for some rest of her own.

 

She slipped through the doorway, leaning her back against it, and sighed. She knew that she should really be using her own bedroom for rest but it was too difficult, being so close to Rumple's and not indulging ~~.~~ She had taken the time to borrow a midnight blue tunic from his wardrobe in order to sleep in, the silk feeling smooth against her chilled skin, the shirt ending just at the top of her thighs. In truth, she wasn’t sure if they would get Rumple back, all she had was hope that they could, and she was far from giving that up. For now, however, she would do what she could to keep him close.

 

His room had much the same layout of her own space, though the chamber was quite larger in size along with the bathing chamber to be sure. Rather than the blues and creams her space was done in, his had been prepared in deep crimson red, black, and accented with gold, and she couldn’t imagine it being any other colors. While the room had initially been layered in dust, during their time in the library, the castle had set that to right; she was convinced that there wasn’t even a speck to be seen. She marveled that even after all this time his magic and enchantments still clung on…

 

Belle wasted no time once she was dressed to slip beneath the silky covers, groaning as she settled into the comfort of the mattress. Her travel weary body was ready to surrender to sleep, but her mind still sparked with one more need.

 

She turned onto her side and pulled the pillow closer taking in a deep breath of the fabric, but the scent she craved was far from available; the bed’s master had long since rested here, there would be no remnant of him. Fresh tears pricked at the back of her eyes, but she forced back her emotions, reminding herself that she needed to be strong and brave. She had to be, so she could support Neal when he needed her.

 

\---

 

Neal glanced around the room once Belle had taken her leave, walking over to the fire to warm himself, his sable eyes wandering. The room was warm and cozy with its décor: the bed draped in a dark forest green, the wood furniture stained a warm chestnut, the seating accenting the room with a pop of rich blue. Across the wall from the bed was a heavy set dresser, and sitting atop was a small collection of carved wooden soldiers whom all appeared to be standing at attention, waiting for their leader to give them a command. 

 

A smile tugged at the side of his mouth as he left his spot to approach the dresser, picking up one of the soldiers fingers running down the carved figurine. He remembered the long nights that his Father had stayed up working in their hovel; he couldn't have been more than eight years old at the time. His Mother had been working at the tavern as a waitress in order to make ends meet during the cold months, always having an endless amount of complaints to place against her husband, letting him know if he was a better man that she wouldn’t have to work as well.

 

He did what he could to help out, offering to stay up late with his father to spin, but he always turned him down and sent him to bed with the explanation that “ _Growing boys needed their rest._ ” Even with the family’s struggles, that had been the best winter solstice he could remember. He had been gifted the toy soldier set, only then realizing that his Papa had spent those extra hours working on his gift for the holiday. The soldiers themselves were a bit crude (Rumple was a spinner, not a woodworker after all), none of them having faces or expressions, but they stood strong and he could see the hours of work that had been put into them; it had been the best gift that he ever received.

 

Neal shook his head and sat the soldier back down in place amongst the rank. Looking further down the dresser, he spotted a far too familiar, worn in, leather ball that he had played with throughout his childhood. It seemed as if his whole childhood had been collected into this room, almost as if his Father had expected to pick up where they left off once they found each other. When he thought about it, and took another look around the room, it had been just as carefully put together as one would a nursery for a new baby.

 

He shook his head again to rid his mind of the thoughts, moving over to a chair to remove his traveling clothes so he could get a few hours of rest. He couldn’t be thinking about his own childhood now when he had Henry’s to think of, and not only Henry, but Emma as well. He needed to get back to both of them. They had a family to put together in the way that they never had a chance to in the first place, and the only way he would accomplish that would be through finding a way to bring back his Father. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While some answers have been discovered new mysteries have developed, are these new ones even possible to be resolved?

Chasing the Darkness (Chapter 3)

 

Neal’s arm slammed into the pillow next to his head when his body thrashed and turned; looking as though he was reaching for someone. His voice released in a groan with another twist of his body.

 

_… His hand grabbed at his Father as the force of the green vortex pulled against him._

_“You promised!” He screamed over the noise around them, hair whipping into his face by the wind._

_“I can’t son!” Was called back, one hand clinging to his dagger where it was anchored into the ground, his other holding onto his son’s, hard fast to keep him._

_“You coward!” His voice called back, reading the fear in his face. “ **You promised**!” Baelfire screamed. _

_Each of their hands grew slick with sweat from the effort of staying joined… and the next moment, they weren’t._

_The green vortex pulled him away through rushing winds of magic to a land without…_

 

“ ** _PAPA!”_** Neal cried, falling out of his bed in a tangled mess of blankets, sweat, and half dried tears that clung to his heated cheeks.

 

“Papa…” He breathed again, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar room (his room) of the Dark Castle. Neal groaned, reaching up to rub at his face, fingers running through locks of damp hair.

 

Even now, well beyond grown, his sleep was plagued with that memory, of his Father letting go and breaking their deal. He wouldn’t do the same to Henry; he would be the father that he needed him to be, no matter the cost.

 

After a time spent he pulled himself from the tangled mess on the floor, a glance out the window to tell that it was about mid-day. A bath was in order to wash the road off him and then back to research, back to finding a way to his family.

 

\---

 

Once Neal arrived in the library it was no surprise to find Belle already at work, yet another new pile of books littered the floor among another roll of parchment full of notes. Books really were her thing, weren’t they?

 

He coughed to clear his throat in order to announce himself to Belle, who happened to be perched on the ladder that was leaning against one of the large book cases.

 

“Oh! Good morning!” She chirped, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I hope you slept well, I can get you something to eat if you’re hungry in a moment.” Belle called back, eyes shifting back to the books.

 

“That’s alright, I can go grab something.” Neal pointed out, shrugging his shoulders.

 

“Oh nonsense, let me take care of you, it’s the least I can do for everything you’ve handled till now.” She argued.

 

Neal nodded in silent resignation, shoving hands back into his pockets. Belle was not officially his Step-Mother but there was no doubt who the woman was to his Father, they were true love after all.

 

“Okay… _Mama_.” Neal tossed back the remark with a teasing tone, a smirk crossing over his lips as he watched for her reaction.

 

“Wait, what?!” Belle called, turning on the ladder quickly, causing her foot to slip, and throwing her balance. She squeaked as her hand reached out for support, only to land on a thick book that simply slide backwards off the self, throwing her momentum backwards off the ladder.

 

She would have released a scream if she had time before fellow books decided to join their brethren’s decent tumbling after the pair of them.

 

“Belle!” Neal called out, rushing forward towards the shelf, ignoring the shower of books raining down.

 

“Oomph!” The wind had been knocked out of her as she opened her eyes to find she had been caught by something, that something being Neal’s arms. She was instantly grateful for him, glad she had not added herself to the pile of books scattered around the floor.

 

“Are you alright?” He asked voice full of concern as he carefully stood her back on solid ground.

 

“Yes… you… surprised me is all.” Belle answered, her face flushed finding herself in a stupor as the memory of windows, curtains, a ladder, and another pair of arms flooded her mind from years past.

 

“Sorry,” Neal muttered, accepting her answer despite the look across her face. His attention shifted to the pile of scattered books that had followed her, kneeling down to collect them.

 

He reached for the largest tome that had ended up splayed out on its belly, each side of the cover stretched out like a bird in flight. Strangely it was not as heavy as it looked and a heavy clink of metal followed as he plucked it from the ground. A large brass colored knob rolled from underneath of it, spinning around once, before settling into place.

 

Belle leaned down as both of their attentions was stolen by the object, ignoring the other books that needed to be picked up.

 

“What is it?” Neal questioned, first to break the silence that feel over them, “looks like a handle.”

 

“I don’t think so.” She murmured, picking up the knob turning it around to study the markings on the metal. “It’s far more like a key than anything else.” Belle pointed out, trading the key to him for the book it had come from.

 

The book’s core had purposefully been hollowed out in the dimensions of its hidden treasure, the words on its pages destroyed by the interruption of the davit.

 

Belle huffed, holding the book up, flipping its pages to show the damaged pages and missing words to Neal. What information had been there was no longer useful, if it had been relevant to them or the object in the first place at all. If anything, it certainly wasn’t any way to treat a book.

 

“What could it be too? I haven’t seen any door with this large of a key here.” Neal pointed out. He rolled it between his hands, testing the weight of it; it certainly wasn’t a modern key by any measure.

 

Belle shook her head. “It’s not to any place in the castle that I can think of. Rumple would have simply locked the doors with magic…”she answered back, Neal nodding along in mutual agreement.

 

The book was shut and set aside as she glanced around the library. _A key to a locked door_ , she thought but the only door that came to mind was the one to Rumpelstiltskin’s tower. She had accesses to the entire castle besides that room, though that was due to the dangerous (and rare) pieces he kept there than anything else.

 

_All magic comes with a price… Don’t make a deal that you don’t understand…_

 

Belle pushed herself off the floor reaching out with a hand to assist Neal from the stone to join her.

 

_Somethings had layers to peel back; they were a mystery that needed to be uncovered. Some mysteries took time to solve and some perhaps never could be…_

 

Neal accepted the help up with a soft grunt. “Why couldn’t there be an ‘In case of emergencies, break glass’ cabinet around here?” He groaned turning towards Belle as his gaze locked on her.

 

Belle seemed to stand as still as a statue in the middle of the library, her eyes glazed over with no recognition that Neal had spoken, her eyes focused on a stone in the floor.  

 

“…Belle?” Neal questioned, his voice breaking the silence that had settled in the space, his eyebrows furrowing in concern, “You alright?”

 

Belle looked up to him with a sad smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Yeah.” She answered; her voice soft, sounding fragile. “I know where we need to go.”

 

Neal was about to open up his mouth to respond as she walked over to him, patting him half-heartedly on his arm as she spoke again, “Might want to pack up.”

 

\---

 

There were so many possibilities that could happen and Belle had no way to be certain what one of them could or would. The best thing she could do was to try and anticipate all of them and make sure they had what they needed in each of those scenarios.

 

At one point that day she ended up standing in the great hall just staring at the supplies she had gathered on the table, the surface was so full it would make anyone wonder if she was part magpie. Her fingers dug into her own hips with as her teeth caught her bottom lip as she willed herself to look away from her pile. Belle had a feeling that if they found a way back to Storybrooke, this would be the last chance to be in the Dark Castle and it hurt knowing she would have to say goodbye to it all over again.

 

Her hands came up to scrub over her face with a light groan. She couldn’t do this here, there wasn’t time for it now, this was when she needed to be brave, and this was when she could make a difference, be a hero. There wasn’t time to be sentimental and re-live moments from the past when there was an entire future to focus on, a future that could still contain Rumpelstiltskin if they were successful.

 

Her thoughts were only interrupted by Neal’s entrance with a tray of lunch for the two of them, stew and honey bread with tea to share. Neal offered a shrug, “Might as well eat up well while we have the chance.” He noted with a small smile. Whatever realization had grabbed her in the library was clearly weighing heavily on her, he could tell that her curious spark had been whipped away, instead replaced with a heavy cloak of resignation that he recognized all too easily.

 

Neal placed the tray onto an empty spot that he found on the table amongst the items that had been gathered, turning around to rest a hand on Belle’s shoulder to gain her attention. “We will find him… I promise. You’re not going this alone Belle.”

 

Belle’s lip twitched sadly as she looked up to the taller man. “I know we will but Rumple has always warned us that magic comes with a price. I’ve seen him conduct more deals than I can count but what kind of price is something like this going to cost us?” She whispered, her throat growing tight as she held back what she could of her emotions. She had read hundreds of books on hundreds of subjects; the library that Rum had given her seemed to have endless topics to explore but with every tale that mentioned magic certain ground rules seemed to apply.

 

The first was that dead was… well dead. There was no magic known that could resurrect someone who had passed on from the living. The second was that no one could be forced to love another. Sure, there were potions and spells that could cast the illusion of love through manipulation of lust and loyalty, but there was no truth in it, it was an empty experience.  Thirdly, it was impossible to change the past, what had been done was done.

 

These three rules seemed to run throughout all the tales, legends, and fables she had ever read and as far as she understood magic they seemed to be proven true. Of course there had been magic users who attempted to break all of these rules though so far none had been proven successful.

 

Neal rubbed at the back of his neck as he moved to sit in the empty chair at the table, “Hadn’t thought of what it would cost.” He answered, shrugging. “But if there is a price I have to pay in order to get back to Emma and Henry, it will be worth whatever it is.” He spoke, his head nodding with finality of his opinion.

 

Belle felt a little tension release as she looked over to him, a smile twitching on her lips, of course he was right, whatever the price was she was also willing to pay.


End file.
